In this digital age, our online presence is becoming increasingly important. Everything is only a few clicks away from becoming viral. At any moment of time, there are countless ‘trending’ topics that are at the forefront of the internet. Becoming a part of this list can massively boost your brand awareness.
What is a viral marketing campaign?
It’s a promotional technique that focuses on users sharing engaging media to spread the word. In other words, it’s the online version of word-of-mouth advertising. It focuses on engaging the masses. Viral messages don’t just spread person to person, each share can result in hundreds, if not thousands of eyes on your campaign.
Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? This campaign helped fundraise $220 million for patients of this disease. Now, that’s a classic example of a viral marketing campaign.
Here are the 5 strategies you can implement:
Target audience
You must send your message to the right audience
Before starting a campaign, you must have a clear idea about your target demographic. Catering the content of your campaign to a specific audience increases the likelihood to create engagement. Knowing which websites your audience frequent is equally important to effectively reach them.
Attention
Your campaign must be an ‘attention grabber’
There is no shortage of content for consumers and your campaign must instantly click with your consumers to work. Having a clear message relevant to your target audience along with effective visuals will make your campaign go a long way.
Create emotional appeal
Think about how you can make your consumers feel
If you successfully create a strong emotional response with your campaign, it’s chances of becoming viral skyrockets. Repetitive informational ads are not something you should aim for. Making your audience engage with your emotional content which drives them to action is the right move for a viral campaign.
Dove’s ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ campaign is so well-loved because it struck a chord with their target audience.
Keep it simple
Your campaign must be easy to understand
All viral campaigns can be summed up in a short phrase or a sentence. When you have a strong direct message for your campaign, its effectiveness drastically increases.
An example of a hilariously simple campaign is the Zoom Virtual Background Challenge which went viral in 2020.
Make it easy to share and promote
The ‘shareability’ of a campaign is the most important part
For your campaign to actually go viral, it must be shared by your audience. Enabling tagging and downloading capabilities so that your viewers can tag their friends on social media or download your video to make a memorable GIF is really important. You must make sure that all the channels for spreading your ad campaign can be used easily.
If you follow these tips, your campaign has a high chance of going viral.
But, why is going viral so beneficial?
- You can build your brand: People will start to know more about your company, your products, and your brand overall. This is how small companies ‘make it big’ and big companies stay relevant.
- Cost-effective: A viral campaign doesn’t require the big bucks. You just need a thorough understanding of your target audience and a cracking campaign to disrupt the marketplace of ideas! If done correctly, it is the most effective way to market your brand.
- Your brand gets exposed to a larger audience: Your campaign enters the view of a diverse audience when it becomes viral. This results in an increase in sales, greater engagement, and conversions.
Conclusion
While there is no fixed way to make your campaign go viral, you can definitely review previous viral campaigns to improve your chances. In the end, it boils down to making content that your target audience can connect with and actively share. Want some help with this? Get assistance from one of Mumbai’s leading creative agencies to make this process much easier.
Author Bio: Hardik Kothari is a Copywriter at Chimp&z Inc. He likes to write words, play video games, and talk about himself in 3rd person.
